Who won the Parker fight? Fabio Wardley fight updates and results - controversial knockout sets up meeting with Oleksandr Usyk
British heavyweight Fabio Wardley pulled off the biggest win of his career with an enormous upset over Joseph Parker.
In the contest at the O2 Arena, Wardley showed he has one of the toughest chins in the sport as he swallowed several huge punches from Parker before forcing referee Howard Foster to stop the bout in an explosive 11th round. Parker promised to be a "different level" to the 30-year-old and that appeared the case for much of the bout in London.
Wardley seemed to have missed out on the chance to stop the bout in a back-and-forth second round and it appeared a sliding doors moment for the Ipswich right-hander. Wardley roared back with a huge right to wobble the New Zealand in the 11th and a flurry of further punches forced a dramatic stoppage.
Fabio Wardley’s record now stands at 20-0-1, with an impressive 19 knockouts. That gives the 30-year-old a KO ratio of 90%.
Parker said: “He caught me with a few shots, he put on a good performance, but when you get caught, it’s boxing. I felt fine when they stopped the fight, but I’m not the referee, I wanted to carry on, of course.
“It sucks to lose a fight, not pretending I’m happy, but life goes on. Boxing is what I do, but I’m blessed with kids and a family, regroup, then see what comes next. I don’t regret anything I do, boxing is just part of what I do, I’m blessed with a family and a wonderful team. It’s just a bump in the road. I felt good out there.”
Frank Warren confirmed Fabio Wardley's next fight is Oleksandr Usyk. Derek Chisora, Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois, and Anthony Joshua can all attest to Usyk’s power and quality - and now it appears that Fabio Wardley will be the next British heavyweight to test the Ukrainian.